


Too Broken To Feel

by EveryDay_ALittleMore



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Altered Mental States, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon?, Comfort, Danny "Danno" Williams Needs a Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Feels, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Head Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Torture, Infantilism, Memory Loss, Soft Steve, Steve is in way over his head, Steve needs one too, Trauma, Who's she?, Work In Progress, permanent brain damage, sort of not really, unbetad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 11:41:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30105405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EveryDay_ALittleMore/pseuds/EveryDay_ALittleMore
Summary: Danny Williams never moved to Hawaii to be with his daughter, instead his life was turned upside down starting with a car wreck and ending with such unforgettable trauma that his mind was shattered. Used against his will, Danny finally breaks free and bumps into the one man that can save his life--Commander Steve McGarrett.But is it too late?Will forces converge that will keep them apart forever?Only time will tell.
Relationships: Steve McGarrett & Danny "Danno" Williams
Comments: 10
Kudos: 16





	Too Broken To Feel

**Author's Note:**

> Here's another WIP where I can see the end but I can't see the middle. Any comments, con-crit or otherwise, welcome. Maybe it'll be enough to get me typing on this story again.  
> Hey, crazier things have happened ;)

“You really thought that making sure I got rye instead of multigrain was important enough to call me, Lou? ‘cause we seriously need to have a talk about level of priority when I get back—“ Commander Steve McGarrett, head of the Hawaii Five-0 taskforce, got out of his truck and shut the door, free hand going to his hip as his eyebrows raised in amusement.  
“Look, the last thing we need is for our own M.E. to turn against us—if the man says he wants rye, the man is getting rye.” Lou Grover, former SWAT leader, rumbled over the phone. There was a rustling sound and then Kono Kalakaua’s voice came over the line.  
“Boss, you do remember the whole pumpernickel debacle, right? Just get the rye.”  
Steve did remember. Very clearly. Max had several surprisingly creative way to get back at them for that oversight. “Yeah, okay, rye. Got it. Now is that all or does everyone else want something special now too?”  
“Now that you mention it—“  
“Goodbye, Kono.”  
Slipping his phone back into his cargo pants, Steve started to head through the open market to get to the new sandwich place Chin-Ho Kelly, another member of his task force, had found last month.  
“Hey! You need to pay for that!” A man shouted.  
Always on the alert for trouble of any sort, Steve looked over in the direction that the angry voice had come from and started over, slowly coming into view of a stall that was apparently selling plush stuffed animals indicative of Hawaii, like sea turtles, dolphins, jellyfish, etc. The stall owner, a thin balding man well into his fifties was blocking the way of a short, stocky blond man who looked like he had seen better days, his clothes stained and torn. Steve’s brow knit, noting how the man looked tensed to run.  
Flashing his badge, Steve stepped closer and saw what the blond man had taken: a purplish-pink dolphin plush toy. “Five-0, what’s the problem here?”  
The vendor pointed an accusing finger at the blond man who was gripping onto the dolphin so tightly his knuckles were white, his other hand holding a small, worn book that was presumably his.  
“This hobo tried to take that without paying. I don’t run a charity shop—you give one bum a handout and then the next thing you know I’ll be living out on the streets like them, too. Arrest the thief—“  
Instantly disliking the man, Steve frowned and interrupted. “I’m sure this is all just a misunderstanding. Sir?” Steve asked the blond man. The man hunched his shoulders a little more, apparently trying to make himself smaller as he stared down at the ground, eyes darting back and forth as if he was contemplating trying to get away.  
“What you need to do is haul his sorry ass off to jail, not try and give him an excuse for being a thief!” The vendor grabbed onto the blond man’s bicep—  
The blond man instinctively lifted up his hand clutching the dolphin in an attempt to cover his face. “S’rry, ‘m s’rry.” The man mumbled almost incoherently, shoulders hunching further.  
Steve started. The man’s reactions were that of someone who had been abused—  
“You should be sorry, you bastard—“  
Steve’s eyes flashed, hands dropping from where they’d been resting on his hips and balling into fists. “Let him go. Now.” He ordered, his voice steely.  
The vendor looked over at him, mouth opening to protest, but something in Steve’s face warned him away from that unwise action and the old man let go of the homeless man.  
“I still want him arrested—“  
Impulsively, Steve pulled out his wallet and tossed several bills onto the counter. “Yeah? Well, I’m paying for the toy which means that this man isn’t guilty of anything. No crime, no punishment.”  
The blond man lowered his arm and looked at Steve intently, bright blue eyes locking onto hazel ones, the former with wonder and confusion.  
“He’ll just steal again from somewhere else—“  
“Let me worry about that. Have a good day, sir.”  
Steve glared at the man until the other man broke and grabbed the money bad temperedly. Muttering under his breath the man returned behind his counter and Steve turned to the blond man who was still looking at him uncertainly.  
Pulling out a small notebook from his pocket, Steve scribbled an address on a page and then ripped it out to hand over to the blond man. “You can get a good meal and a bed here, and they offer protection for abuse victims. They should be able to help you, if you want help, that is.”  
The blond man glanced down at the paper curiously but didn’t reach for it.  
Realizing that the man didn’t want to let go of his book or his dolphin, Steve paused suddenly realizing that abuse might not be the only thing wrong with the man.  
Struck by an idea Steve withdrew his hand and gave the man a lopsided smile. “Hey, you hungry?”  
The blonde man hesitated, a nervous look on his face, and then he nodded slowly.  
“There’s a sandwich place just over there, I was going to grab some chow for my team—but they can wait. Let’s go eat.”  
Steve headed for the place in question, the blond man trailing after him.  
At the window he ordered the food for the team to go and then ordered himself a roast beef sandwich with a salad on the side and then looked expectantly over at the blond man.  
“What looks good?” Steve prompted him.  
The blond man hunched his shoulders and then slowly pointed at a picture of an Italian sub. Not a favorite of Steve’s—but who was he to judge?  
Placing the order, Steve sat down at a small round table to wait for his food, the blond man edging into the seat next to him and placing his book in his lap with the dolphin resting top of it.  
“Oh, hey, I never introduced myself did I? Steve McGarrett.” He reached out a hand.  
“Danny.” Danny’s voice sounded rough, as if he didn’t use it often, a faint trace of an accent tinging his words. He looked over at Steve’s proffered hand and then stuck his hand out too.  
Steve blinked and then moved his hand to grip onto Danny’s. “Nice to meet you.”  
Danny looked at their hands in bewilderment.  
Releasing the blond man’s hand, Steve studied him.  
Hair, lank and greasy; around three or four days stubble spread over his face; Hawaiian shirt too big for his frame, the same for his raggedy sweat pants and his sandals.  
Before he could start to question the man, his name was called and he went to retrieve his food and bring it back to the table, Danny clutching his book and his dolphin to his chest, eyes suddenly looking everywhere.  
Almost like he’s looking for a threat of some kind, Steve mused as he sat down and pushed Danny’s sub over to him.  
“Here you go.”  
Danny had started when Steve had returned, but smelling the food, he seemed to relax, once more setting down his book and dolphin on his lap and grabbing his sandwich which he dug into voraciously.  
Ending up giving Danny the rest of his own sandwich, Steve turned to his salad and was just in the middle of crunching down on a bite when he felt a feather light touch at his elbow.  
Looking over, he saw Danny shyly offer him his dolphin.  
“You c’n hold her.”  
Finding himself oddly touched by this simple gesture, Steve gravely thanked Danny and held the dolphin carefully as he and Danny finished their food.  
Handing Danny back his dolphin, Steve stood up and tossed away their trash in a nearby trashcan.  
Pulling out the piece of paper with the address on it, Steve once more handed it to Danny who carefully held it against his dolphin.  
“Like I was saying earlier, these people can help you and help you get a fresh start.” Steve said, picking up the bag of food for the team.  
Danny nodded and watched as Steve started to walk away.  
Steve will never know quite what compelled him, but for some reason he glanced back and saw Danny standing where he left him, a lost look on his face as he clutched his dolphin to him and looked around.  
Steve’s feet moved by themselves and he found himself standing in front of Danny who looked relieved to see him again.  
“Actually, you know what, I can give you a ride, how about that? Come on.”  
Heading back to his truck, Danny keeping close to his side, Steve suddenly wondered if the shelter would really be the best place for Danny who, yes, did show signs of abuse, but also seemed not entirely there, or at least childlike.  
Preoccupied with these thoughts, he opened the truck up absently and was about to get in when he heard gunshots ring out—

**Author's Note:**

> Gotta love those cliffhangers.


End file.
